Lost In Suburbland

Started out a sunny, breezy day with this week's laundry run after a late breakfast. I didn't have nearly as much laundry to wash as the past few weeks, so it only took me about an hour all-told. Good thing, too. First of all, the laundromat was really busy. I was lucky to get a dryer! Second, my change got stuck in the dryer after about the 28-minute mark. I was able to get at least one quarter back...but it turns out I didn't need the full hour anyway. My laundry was quite dry when I pulled it out.

I folded and put away my laundry right after I got home. I ran my Steel Pier cast album while eating a fried egg with farm market Cheddar cheese and spinach salad for lunch. Steel Pier debuted on Broadway in 1997 as an attempt to resurrect the "original" Broadway musical - that is, one that didn't rely on a previously-written property for its plot and structure. Though some of John Kander and Fred Ebb's music is lovely and leading lady Karen Ziemba tries her best (and Kristen Chenowith turns up in one number), they really can't get past the awkward blending of a ghost story, a love story, and a Depression era marathon in Atlantic City. I'm from the Jersey Shore area and went to college near the Atlantic City area, so I know the references. (Frailinger's, for instance, is a real candy store that still exists in Atlantic City and a few other Shore towns to this day.) Those of you who aren't Kander and Ebb fans or who don't know about Atlantic City or 30s history may want to pass this one up unless you collect Broadway flop cast albums.

Headed out to the Haddon Township Library after lunch, making quick stops at Dollar Tree for Father's Day cards and Super Fresh for plum tomatoes on my way over. There were plenty of DVDs to put away this week, and I ended up taking out four myself. I haven't seen Caddyshack since I was in college, so I grabbed that along with the new special edition of North By Northwest. I've heard good things about the new Bert and Ernie claymation shorts on Sesame Street, so I grabbed that as well. I also snagged Abby In Wonderland, Sesame Street's recent take on Alice In Wonderland. I'd never seen newcomer fairy Abby Cadabba in action, and I kind of miss Sesame Street.

After I left the library, I went in the other direction, towards Crystal Lake Road. I wanted to find the Audubon Recreation Center, but I rarely ride around on the Westmont/Haddonfield side of the White Horse Pike...and I was reminded of why today. I spent two hours wandering around. I accidentally doubled back to Crystal Lake Road twice before I got away from there. The trouble is, the area is mostly nice modern houses (with a few older ones sprinkled in) and trees, with the occasional small shopping center, school, or city building mixed in. It's hard to tell exactly where one is! I overshot Audubon by a mile and finally ended up crossing the highway into Lawndale.

I ended up at the section of the White Horse Pike where the Lawndale Heritage Shopping Center is at rush hour. Not the best time to be at a place I swore I wouldn't go back to on my bike. I finally found a crosswalk to get to the other side on. I ultimately did what I did last year when I got lost in Lawndale. I followed the railroad tracks back to Audubon and went home the usual way over the bridge and down Newton Road from there.

And I never DID find the rec center. Oh well, maybe I'll try again on Saturday...and stick to the White Horse Pike this time, the heck with the traffic.